Great Mosque of Kufa

About this place

The Great Mosque of Kufa is a mosque and shrine in the town of Kufa in Najaf Governorate, and one of the oldest surviving mosques in the world, its great building completed in 670 CE. Shia Muslims count it among the holiest mosques, and many pilgrims to Najaf and Karbala visit it. The first mosque here was built with the founding of Kufa in 638, on a square plan with many entrances, beside the governor's palace. Ali ibn Abi Talib lived here when he made Kufa the seat of his caliphate, and he was struck down in the mosque in 661. It holds the shrines of Muslim ibn Aqil, Hani ibn Urwa and others of that era, and it has been rebuilt and restored many times over the centuries. A high stone wall with towers surrounds the wide courtyard, and inside run long arcades with columns and wooden ceilings. Gilded domes and minarets rise over its shrines and light up at night above the marble courtyard. Small stations around the courtyard draw visitors. The Imam Ali Shrine in Najaf is about 9 km away in a straight line. Wear modest clothes; women are usually lent an abaya at the door, and non-Muslim visitors should ask at the entrance. The UK Foreign Office currently advises against all but essential travel to this area, so check official guidance before planning.